Game of Thrones: The Road to Pirate King

Chapter 96 War Reparations - Negotiation

This letter, from beginning to end, used no threatening words; its tone was even humble and earnest. But like Lady Olenna herself, it was firm yet gentle. It acknowledged some mistakes to ease the tension, clearly stated that its core demands were unwavering, and offered a tangible monetary incentive.

It is both an olive branch begging for peace and clearly backed by the military power of the entire Reach—if the Iron Islands refuse this "generosity," then the next one to arrive will not be an envoy, but the overwhelming army of House Tyrell.

After reading the letter, King Coron passed it to Euron, saying, "Take a look."

Euron carefully read through the letter, word by word, and exclaimed, "Elena Redwin, the Queen of Thorns, the uncrowned queen of Highgarden, haha, her letter could be used as a textbook."

He then slowly analyzed, "While acknowledging the fact of 'plunder,' he characterized it as 'recklessness' and 'misjudgment,' rather than deliberate aggression, shifting some of the blame to 'a misunderstanding of the King's orders.' This gave the Iron Islands a way out and also left room for future negotiations with King's Landing."

"The explicit admission of defeat was intended to quickly stem the damage and prevent the situation from deteriorating further. Protecting the lives of civilians and loved ones was the highest priority and an absolute prerequisite. The wording was sincere but contained a bottom line, implying that if this bottom line was crossed, there would be no more willingness to negotiate."

"The letter's most substantial 'carrot'—directly offering compensation and demonstrating sincerity and flexibility—aims to exchange wealth for the safety of people and land."

Euron pointed to the open wax seal: "Besides the Tyrell family crest, a small bunch of grapes is subtly embossed on the edge of the sealing wax, silently emphasizing the inseparable blood connection between the writer and the Redwyn family."

King Coron said, "Yes, she wants peace talks, not war, but she's also prepared to fight us to the death if the talks fail or if Redwin and his son are both dead. She's quite a clever woman, full of thorns."

On Greenwood Isle, in the hall where the lords of the seven Iron Islands gathered, the Tyrell family's envoy stood in the center like a prisoner about to be judged. Letters from Olenna Tyrell, the Queen of Thorns, were being passed from one to another among the Iron Islands lords in the hall, though most showed little interest in such correspondence.

After listening to the messenger nervously read out the purpose of his visit, Euron's signature, enigmatic smile reappeared on his face.

King Coron did not respond immediately, but instead tapped the armrest of the chair lightly with his fingers, as if he were appreciating an interesting piece of music.

After a moment, he waved his hand, signaling the messenger to step back and await a reply.

When only the key figures of the Iron Islands remained in the hall, King Coron chuckled, breaking the brief silence: "It seems the 'Queen of Thorns' is far smarter and more pragmatic than her foolish brother." He commented, "Since she's willing to sit down and talk, and has even brought up compensation, then let's talk."

He turned to the leader in charge of guarding the prisoners and gave the order: "Go, make sure Redwyn and his son wash their faces properly and change into clean clothes. Tomorrow morning, the Tyrell messengers must 'just happen' to see them alive and in decent condition. Then tell them that we Iron Islands are peace-loving and have no intention of being enemies with the rich Reach. This action was purely out of necessity, to seek justice and dignity."

He spoke these words with perfect fluency, as if they were indeed true. The surrounding lords let out a hushed, knowing chuckle.

"However," King Coron's tone shifted, his eyes sharpening, "while we 'love peace,' the 'relocation' cannot stop! Everything movable in the warehouses, cellars, and castles of Greenwood Island must be emptied as quickly as possible! Every ship still floating and operational in the harbor, whether warship or merchant vessel, must be towed away! Not a single one left! We must show the Tyrells that while we wish to negotiate, we are also prepared to leave at any time, and—we have already taken most of what we wanted."

His strategy was clear and ruthless: demonstrate sincerity in negotiations (a living prisoner), while simultaneously showcasing unwavering strength and the ability to withdraw at any time (empty the house), basing the negotiations on the fact that he had already achieved absolute victory and tangible benefits.

The negotiations proceeded the following day in a delicate atmosphere. The Tyrell envoys were slightly relieved to see the Redwyn father and son alive, though haggard but not mistreated, but their feelings were complicated upon seeing the almost empty port and castle.

Euron represented the Iron Islands in the negotiations. He was not aggressive; on the contrary, he appeared quite "reasonable."

"We appreciate Lady Olenna's sincerity," Euron said with a smile. "We also do not wish to be enemies of Highgarden."

"Alright then, to show our goodwill and to bring this unfortunate conflict to a close, we can let Master Paxter Redwin return with you first, as a sign of our willingness to negotiate. Young man, you shouldn't stay here as a guest indefinitely."

This proposal delighted the messenger, as it meant that one of the most important heirs could return safely.

"However," Euron added, as expected, "Count Adrian will probably need to stay with us a little longer. After all, he's involved, and many details need his confirmation. Besides, his presence here ensures our upcoming conversation can proceed in a friendly atmosphere, doesn't it?"

This undoubtedly demands that the father be kept as a key hostage, while only the son is released.

Next, Euron put forward his core requirements:

"As for compensation—" he said as if he had thought it through carefully, "the Tyrell family needs to pay a ransom of 100,000 gold dragons to compensate for the loss of our merchant ships, the compensation for our warriors, and the expenses of our journey."

He stated the figure with the nonchalant tone of someone reciting ten copper coins. Ten Golden Dragons—this was a fortune enough to bankrupt any nobleman, almost equivalent to the royal family's annual income.

"This money," Euron added, "is to secure Earl Adrian's future freedom and to guarantee lasting peace between the Iron Islands and the Reach. Once the money is in place, we'll release him immediately, the fleet will withdraw, and we'll live in peace from now on."

He linked the huge ransom with "peace," as if the money were an investment in future security, rather than just compensation for past losses.

This proposal was extremely harsh: release a relatively minor heir, demand an exorbitant ransom, and detain the most important lord. But this was precisely Euron's strategy: set a high price, leave room for negotiation, and firmly hold onto the most important bargaining chip. After stating the astronomical ransom demand, Euron didn't appear aggressive; instead, he leaned back lazily, as if he were merely offering a perfectly reasonable suggestion. He even gave the Tyrell envoy an almost "helpless" smile.

"As you can see," he shrugged, his tone relaxed as if chatting casually, "we Iron People aren't really used to the overly sweet sea breeze and climate of Qingting Island. We still miss the salty, chilly winds of the Iron Islands. So..."

Euron's tone remained gentle: "Please convey my sincerity and our small requests to Lady Olena as soon as possible."

"Please make sure to give us the compensation we deserve from the Iron Islands as soon as possible." He emphasized the word "deserved" slightly, as if the 100,000 golden dragons were a matter of course for compensation.

Then, Euron's smile faded slightly, and his voice lowered, taking on an unsettling frankness, as if he were sharing an extremely dangerous secret: "You must know that the Ironborn's patience is limited." He said slowly, his gaze sweeping over the shadowy, wounded, and fierce-looking Ironborn warriors outside the hall.

"Not all Ironborn are as eager for peace as I am. In fact, many people already have a lot of complaints about me." Euron pointed a finger outwards, seemingly casually: "Because I strictly limited their looting of civilians' property; because I stopped them from retaliating with blood, killing all prisoners to avenge their fallen brothers; because I chose to sit here and negotiate instead of burning Green Pavilion Island to the ground."

Euron's expression became extremely "sincere," even carrying a hint of "grievance" at being misunderstood: "I can only do my best to suppress those warmongers for three days." He held up three fingers, his tone heavy, "Only three days."

"If I don't see the High Court's sincerity and speed in resolving the issue within three days, I'm afraid I won't be able to control the situation if it goes on for too long." He paused at just the right moment, letting the infinite bloody possibilities implied by the phrase "can't control the situation" completely overwhelm the messenger's imagination.

"Then," Euron concluded with an almost pitying tone, "what will happen will be something neither you nor I, nor even Lady Olenna, would want to see. So, for the good of everyone, please—hurry."

These words are a prime example of diplomatic blackmail and psychological intimidation. He portrays himself as a "moderate," "rational" dove, while blaming all the potential, devastating violence on fictitious or real "warmongers."

He gave a clear and urgent timeframe—three days—and directly linked the prompt payment of the ransom to "maintaining peace" and "preventing genocide."

This is tantamount to saying: You agreed to my conditions not because you won, but because I, the "good guy," am helping you suppress the "bad guy." If the outcome is bad, it's not my fault; it's because you were too slow and angered the "bad guy."

From this moment on, the negotiations truly entered their most brutal and psychologically demanding phase of bargaining. Euron, through perfect performance and precise pressure, had flawlessly shifted the burden, anxiety, and time pressure onto his opponent, while firmly maintaining absolute control, like a spider sitting in the center of its web, waiting for its prey to struggle. Tyrell's messengers had virtually no choice but to bring this threatening "final message" back to Highgarden as quickly as possible.

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